The use of software in business and other applications is ubiquitous today. This can include both brand new software and older software. Often, a single entity or organization will find itself using multiple pieces of software that may not be able to communicate with one another. In some events, an entity or organization may find itself using multiple pieces of software for the same or overlapping purposes. Further, sometimes, organizations merge or evolve and may find some of their data or infrastructure tied to particular software or systems, while other data or infrastructure is tied to other software or systems.
Further, organizations may find themselves tied to multiple systems. Conventionally, users need to log in and access each system separately. For example, typically, if a user wants to see data from multiple electronic healthcare record software applications at the same time (say to compare records for consistency), he or she typically has to close one UI, hold the target information in working memory, and open a second UI. This allows for errors, is time consuming, and can be very frustrating (especially since at least one of the interfaces would likely require a remote desktop/Citrix type solution to access).
Alternatively, the user could bring up both UIs at once in a dual monitor environment. This is also challenging since the data will often be presented to the user inconsistently. For example, the UIs may display data in different locations, the applications may user different units of measure, and design elements such as indicator icons could deviate from one another. This dual monitor environment could lead to frustration, errors, and patient safety issues.
Needs exists for improvement in facilitating the integration of software. These and other needs are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention.